When Hulu’s The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives premiered earlier this month, many longtime MomTok followers had one question: Where’s Miranda McWhorter? Now, her ex-husband is sharing his side of the swinging story.
In an exclusive interview for Us’ Mormon Wives cover story, Chase McWhorter revealed he tuned in to “about five episodes” of the reality series so far. “I actually do think it’s pretty accurate,” he said of how the show represents the “different levels” of the Mormon community in Utah, from those who are “very orthodox” — Jennifer Affleck and her traditional undergarments came to mind — to people who might have “made [their religion] a temporary personality” for “marketing and whatnot.”
Chase and Miranda, who recently got divorced, weren’t featured on the series, but they have a close connection to some of its breakout stars. The pair were implicated when Taylor Frankie Paul made waves on MomTok in 2022 by revealing that she split from ex-husband Tate Paul after breaking the boundaries of their “soft swinging” arrangement. Miranda and Chase initially denied being part of the controversy, but two years later, Chase is more open about their involvement.
A big factor in his eventual acceptance was stepping away from the Mormon church. “That was the sole reason I was embarrassed to be a part of the first place was the optics,” he told Us. “It was a learning experience, for sure, and looking back, we could have gone about it a lot of different ways.”
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The “swinger parties” 30-year-old Taylor alluded to in her now-infamous TikTok livestream started out more innocent, according to Chase. “It all started during Covid. … [It was] a bunch of our friends coming — couples — and then we’d all get trashed on alcohol and then, like, these games would come up,” he recalled. “Spin the bottle or whatever.”
Chase and Miranda were often “there participating in some of the party games,” but he insisted to Us, “It was never predetermined that we were going to be doing, like, swinging. That’s what we always thought was a little bit misrepresented in Taylor’s story, as she presents it.”
The sexual exploration was the result of a “snowball effect,” with alcohol playing a large role in the indiscretions. Chase also argued that Mormon culture as a whole — which has strict beliefs when it comes to using substances and having sex before marriage — contributed to lines being crossed.
“This is a bunch of people that grew up, for the most part, pretty Mormon and were in a lot of ways, I think, infantilized by the lack of these experiences they went through in college,” he explained. “So, this was kind of a new thing.”
The more the group spent time together — according to Chase, the couples rented cabins for their getaways in Park City and other areas of Utah — the more the boundaries were pushed. “I do think these marriages were struggling, most of them,” Chase told Us, reiterating that he never thought swinging was the goal of the parties. “Again, this is all people that have just grown up Mormon and really, in a lot of ways, not ever dabbled in some of the stuff that you’d probably just get through and experience in college or high school. But I don’t really ever think anyone thought, ‘We’re gonna eventually, like, switch and then have sex with that person.’”
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Not long before Taylor aired her dirty laundry on TikTok Live, the revelation hit their wider friend group. Chase remembered feeling “pretty stunned” after learning that Taylor and Tate were doing “the actual swinging thing” with another couple.
“We found out that she had not only had an affair, but she had been having an affair for about a month and a half, and that this was not a one time offense,” he said. “It was more [of an] emotional affair.”
The revelation felt “like a nuclear bomb [got] dropped,” Chase continued. “That immediately meant, basically, two divorces.”
Miranda’s friendship with Taylor, which was nearing five years strong, might have suffered the biggest blow. “I don’t think Taylor liked the fact that Miranda wasn’t really there right by her side [during the scandal],” Chase claimed.
Chase, now the cohost of the “OnlyDads Podcast” with another pal from the Mormon friend group, has seen Taylor “a couple times” since the dust settled on the scandal. He and Miranda recently bumped into Taylor and her on-off boyfriend, Dakota Mortensen, at a party. Though the women “seemed cordial” with one another — they “talked for, like, 45 minutes” — Chase claimed Miranda is unlikely to “get that close” to Taylor again after their falling out.
“I think we all have regrets,” he admitted. “I think we all regret what happened. … We probably should have not been there. But at the same time, why does this have to be a public thing? It seems like this was all happening behind closed doors, and now Taylor’s using it as a springboard to notoriety when she’s the one that actually just cheated.”
Viewers saw Taylor’s side of the story rehashed once again on the Hulu series, which debuted September 6. Many of her costars denied ever being part of the scandal — and Chase gave Us the receipts.
“I’ll tell you exactly who was never at any of the parties. Whitney [Leavitt] never came,” Chase said, teasing, “I don’t think anyone wanted to kick it with Whitney.”
Mayci Neeley, Layla Taylor and Jessi Ngatikaura were also never involved. “Jen was never there … Her husband would have probably killed her,” he said, referring to Zac Affleck, who could hardly even handle the thought of his wife and her costars being at a Chippendales show during a group trip to Las Vegas.
Chase told Us that Demi Engemann and her husband, Brett, “did come to some of the parties” but didn’t cross any lines. “They were just hanging out,” he added.
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With the scandal behind them, Chase and Miranda are focusing on their new chapter as coparents. The MomTok controversy wasn’t a factor in their decision to call it quits, Chase said.
“I think we both realized that we’d gotten married a little prematurely, and that’s why our relationship still is pretty, good [now], like, we’re really cordial, really friendly,” he continued. “[I] still chat with her a lot, whenever she drops the kids off, and vice versa. … I think it’s working out really well, and we’re kind of figuring out how to continue navigating that in a positive way.”
Taylor, for her part, told Us in a separate interview that she doesn’t miss the swinger lifestyle. “It’s something I’m going to have to explain to [my kids] one day and it’s going to be very hard, but I also will be able to be like, ‘This is what I did. This is how it affected me,’” she added. “And obviously, your kids are going to do whatever they’re going to do, but I want to be [someone] they can come [to] and feel comfortable [with].”
Despite their bumpy past, Chase still sees “redeemable qualities” in his and Miranda’s former friend.
“It’s no coincidence that we were friends with her for the four years that we were,” he told Us. “She, like, is a cool person, and she is really fun. … I’m sure she’s changed and grown and, you know, probably made some adjustments, and that’s kind of what we’re all trying to do anyways.”
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives is available to stream on Hulu.
With reporting by Amanda Williams
